Wireless communications devices, such as cellular telephones, typically include a housing, a keypad, a display, and an audio-input device, such as a microphone. In addition, many wireless communications devices can be configured to send messages, to receive commands, to place calls and to store information, such as names and associated addresses.
A wireless communications device user will frequently desire to input alphanumeric characters, such as the letters of the alphabet, numbers, and other special characters, such as ‘!’, ‘@’, ‘#’, ‘$’, ‘%’, and so forth, for use in conjunction with the operation of the wireless communications device. The user may desire, for example, to input alphanumeric characters for use in connection with sending messages, receiving commands, placing calls, storing information, and the like. To enter alphanumeric characters, the user must use the limited number of keys on the keypad to represent each of the alphanumeric characters. This will frequently require the user to enter several key strokes for each alphanumeric character. It is inconvenient for the user to enter multiple keystrokes for each alphanumeric character to be input. Therefore, it can be appreciated that there is a significant need for a system to enter alphanumeric characters in a wireless communications device without the need to enter one or more keystrokes for each character.